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Notes from The Last Time: Andy Wells and The Institute of Man and Resources

Published 31st October 2009 - 1 comments - 1489 views -

Alex Campbell was elected Premier of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in the general election of 1966.  He was 33 years old.

Under the umbrella of its 1969 "Comprehensive Development Plan," the Campbell government sought to transform many aspects of Prince Edward Island's economy and infrastructure.  It did this, however, with a rather traditional view of the energy needs of the province.

That all changed with the energy crisis of 1973.  In one season oil prices quadrupled, and the Island's economy, more dependent on oil than most, suddenly seemed very vulnerable.

Campbell's government did an unusual thing in reaction: rather than calling for subsidy or other rescue, it embraced a broader ecological view, suggesting that the Island's exposure to oil prices was not simply a short-term problem. The clearest expression of this new attitude toward energy came with the establishment of a new Institute of Man and Resources, an independent body, funded by the provincial and the federal governments, with a mandate to explore renewal energy and sustainable design.

Andy Wells was Alex Campbell's executive secretary, and it was, at least in part, Andy's interest in and knowledge of the work of the Club of Rome, of E.F. Schumacher and of Louis Mumford, that was responsible for the government's new direction.  So it was only appropriate that, after a search for someone to lead the new Institute produced no eligible candidates otherwise, Andy was picked for the post, and over 15 years oversaw its involvement with everything from district heating to wind energy.

Prince Edward Island's Institute of Man and Resources operated from 1975 to 1990.  In its initial years it was well-funded by the provincial and national governments. A provincial government change in 1979 saw reduced provincial support for the Institute, however, and as oil prices began to lower in the mid-1980s the federal governments appetite for renewal energy funding diminished, so that in its final years the Institute was poorly funded and unable, perhaps, to live up to its full potential.

Among the legacies of the Institute, however, are the Atlantic Wind Test Site, district heating systems in Charlottetown, and The Ark bioshelter, along with a body of research and experimentation that contributed to the drive toward renewal energy solutions on Prince Edward Island and elsewhere.

To learn more about the Institute, and the lessons we might learn from the last time Prince Edward Island was forced to confront its energy future, I sat down with Andy Wells, now retired, at his home in Hazel Grove.

Credits and references: Music is Skye Suite by Roy Johnstone and Steve Sharratt from the album Longshore Drift. The Institute of Man and Resources: An Environmental Fable by Alan MacEachern is a thoughtfully written and well-researched history of the Insitute of Man and Resources and an essential read for anyone interested in learning more about environmental history.  Archival footer of Alex Campbell from CBC Newsmagazine is from the CBC Archives.

See also: Notes from The Last Time: The Architect and The Ark and Notes from The Last Time: Kirk Brown and the Institute of Man and Resources.

Category: Alternative Energies, Climate Heroes, | Tags: sustainability, sustainability, energy, history,



Comments

Robert Paterson on 03rd November 2009:

Here is a recent view on wood and heat from Roy MacMullin

In this important article he makes the case that with the decline of logging and paper, that Atlantic Canada has the wood supply to support all the regions heating needs. Even better he shows how, by keeping the money in the region and by creating a major business in this field builds our wealth as we contain all the money inside our own realm:

  80% of homes in PEI, 25% in New Brunswick and roughly 65% of Nova Scotia use oil as the heat source. Approximately 1.3 billion liters of fuel oil are burned each year in Atlantic Canada. At last years price of 91 cents, that was $1.2 billion. At present day prices of $1.43 / liter, the new bill is $1.86 billion, a difference of $660 million. Next year, who knows? If families locked in a good price last fall, the sticker shock will only hit them later this year

  To put our oil refugee’s plight into perspective, 1.3 billion liters of fuel oil is equivalent to 11.5 billion kWh’s or 11 times the annual usage of Saint John Energy. It is 61% of the output of NB Power’s system. The peak that it would create on the Atlantic grid would be 2500 MW or more, which is equivalent to four new Lepreau 1 units or 2.5 units of the new AECL 1000.

  Looking at a wood alternative, we would have to cut 2.8 million cords of wood to replace this volume of oil. To compare, the existing residential usage of hardwood in New Brunswick is roughly 500,000 cords each year.

  Using wood as a solution requires an additional 332 thousand cords to be harvested annually to displace the New Brunswick fuel oil requirement. This shouldn’t be a problem with mills shutting down. Pellets and briquettes can use softwood that is compressed to provide the same heat density of hardwood, with less moisture content.

  Wood heat could very quickly meet the requirements of a conversion program. The reduction of oil purchases of 943,000 barrels would retain $137 million a year in the New Brunswick economy as opposed to sending it offshore. Over the years, this would be the equivalent of investing over a billion dollars in the local economy. If Efficiency NB extended their offer of $2,250 to oil heat customers converting to wood, it would go a long way toward alleviating the problems of oil prices. The cost of the providing stoves would be $135 million (60,000 x $2,250), probably spent over a number of years.

  The use of EPA rated stoves ensures an efficiency of 70% and emissions that are less than 10% of previous generation stoves. In urban areas, the use of pellet or briquettes may have to be mandatory with round wood as a rural option.

  We are at the beginning of an emergency, perhaps a low intensity war. This change from low cost energy to high cost energy will sap our resources, leave us poor and eventually cold. If we fail to adapt to the heating oil challenge as well as the other aspects of peak oil, we lose. Do you see the leadership that we need to ensure that we don’t freeze in the dark?

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